The United Nations, together with national and international NGO partners, has launched the 2026 Response Plan for Afghan Returnees (RPAR) in Kabul. The plan is designed to support an estimated 2.7 million Afghans projected to return from Iran and Pakistan between April and December 2026, providing assistance from border crossing points through to the communities where they settle. Since September 2023, nearly 5.9 million Afghans have already returned, representing a significant demographic shift equal to 10–12 percent of the country’s population in just over two years.
The RPAR emphasizes that this is not a short-term border issue but a profound demographic and development challenge requiring sustained investment. Over half of the returnees are women and children, many born and raised outside Afghanistan with limited ties to their communities of origin. Without medium-term support in livelihoods, housing, clean water, health, and protection, risks of secondary displacement, poverty, and social tensions will increase.
The plan is structured around two tiers: border response and reintegration. At the border, US$ 100.7 million is required to deliver lifesaving multi-sectoral assistance, including cash, health, nutrition, protection, WASH, and transport, coordinated by IOM. For reintegration, US$ 428.5 million is needed to strengthen services and reduce pressure on host communities in 35 priority districts. This includes restoring access to education, health, and water, creating economic opportunities, securing housing and land rights, and promoting protection, gender equality, and social cohesion.
UN officials and NGO partners stressed the immense scale of need and the urgency of full donor funding. The Border Consortium currently has resources to cover only 40 percent of the most vulnerable returnees, even though 70 percent meet vulnerability criteria. Funding gaps directly affect the ability to address risks and support sustainable reintegration.
The launch event brought together donor governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and media, underscoring the collective capacity to respond. The United Nations and its partners are urging donors to fully fund the RPAR to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and to lay the foundation for recovery, sustainable reintegration, and resilience for millions of Afghans.
